What about Topre Type Heaven or Cooler Master Novatouch?

Indeed the price of entry for a Topre Realforce keyboard can be rather incredulous.  The starting price for a new one typically begins north of $200 US dollars.  However, once a while, I might spot one for a bit under $200 used or on some crazy inventory clearing sale.  So, Topre started the Type Heaven budget line some years ago by cutting down a few features to get the price point under $150 USD.  Type Heaven is a standard 104 keyboard and has the same 45g uniform Topre switches, albeit with ABS key caps rather than PBT type for their Realforce line.  BTW, It uses the Topre key stem caps.  So, replacing the keys can be tricky since there’s not as much available compare to the myriad Cherry MX key stem compatible caps.  Also, instead of the dye sublimation key legends, the ABS caps used pad printing method.  So, the key legends may wear out more quickly overtime.  Dye sublimation cannot work with ABS since ABS plastics’ melting point is too low for that process.  Instead of the halo “Made in Japan” mark, Type Heaven is made in China.  I presume that this is to save a bit of production cost while maintaining similar quality benchmarks.  So, if one is curious enough to try out a Topre switch, then Type Heaven may be a good place to start.  However, if one plans to replace the ABS key caps with PBT ones, one might as well start with Realforce line as the replacement caps are easily $80 US dollars or more.

Lack of key cap options is one thorny problem for Topre.  Many keyboard enthusiasts prefer to customize their board to express their individuality and/or to accommodate certain needs.  So, to solve that problem, Cooler Master created NovaTouch, a Topre switches based TKL keyboard that accepts Cherry MX compatible key caps.  So, for those folks who loved their custom key caps and really wanted a Topre based mechanical keyboard, Cooler Master has the answer.  Since it’s a Topre switch based keyboard, the starting price is still closer to $200 USD than $100, but one can find it around $165 or so.  Either way, we are still stuck with a relatively high price point however.

Currently, I have no plan to acquire either keyboards for my tryout yet, since testing all these various kind of Topre keyboards can get quite expansive.  That might change later on, but for now, I will keep an eye out for a super bargain and see what happens.  All this come down to this: how much one is willing to spend for the Topre experience?  The Topre Type Heaven can be had for less than $140 if one is patient enough and the Cooler Master NovaTouch is around $165.  No matter how we slice it, Topre switches based keyboards are just more expansive than the competition.  Oh well....

1/14/2016 UPDATE: I have overlooked a simple detail about NovaTouch.  It came with O-rings pre-installed to dampen the downward keystroke and provide a slight assist during the restoration to reset phase.  Most of the time it is to provide a quieter typing experience.  Most regular mechanical keyboards usually don't include that unless it's custom mod or as an extra option.  So, that might factor into some pricing and other considerations.